Finland’s Bonehunter has released material at a steady pace since their formation in 2011, so it might not be that surprising that their third full length album Children of the Atom comes only a year after Sexual Human Panic Machine. For the uninitiated, this trio merges elements of punk and black/thrash together into a sleazy, grimy sound that occasionally heads into full on black metal when the band feels like it. Children of the Atom doesn’t stray far from the formula that the group has been utilizing over their past two full lengths, but it still has more than enough hooks to keep devotees and newcomers coming back for more.
There are certainly a lot of other bands that do a take on the early black metal and punk combination on Hells Headbangers’ roster, but that doesn’t mean that Bonehunter is pulling from the same template as the rest of them. One of the biggest differences is that the instrumentals tend to incorporate sections that are straight up black metal into the mix, with songs like “Demonic Nuclear Armament” and “Devil Signal Burst” having the same type of chilling tremolo riffing that wouldn’t sound out of place on a Satanic Warmaster record. This doesn’t happen that often, but it does help to break up the rest of the album which leans as much on Motörhead and Discharge as it does earlier black/thrash. It’s a mixture that continues to work well, and Bonehunter keeps things short enough that the riffs grab your attention without becoming too repetitive. There’s even a killer take on Spiritus Mortis’ Man of Steelwhich transforms the original song into a much grimier style. Admittedly with the short period of time between this album and its predecessor, Children of the Atom feels like it tweaks the formula rather than evolving it, but there’s still plenty of substance that will keep listeners interested.
Bonehunter’s vocals have always been a large part of the appeal, and Satanarchist once again delivers a performance that stands out. For the majority of Children of the Atom he hits a higher pitched shriek that has the abrasiveness and intensity one would expect from black metal with the grimier edge of punk, which perfectly fits the band’s overall sound. It’s consistently in your face from one song to the next, and while there are only slight deviations to the pitch throughout the entire album the performance never comes across as grating or repetitive. Bonehunter’s continued to put their vocals front and center, which makes every verse feel like an attack that’s going straight for your throat.
With the quick turnaround time between last year’s album and Children of the Atom, this material doesn’t feel like quite as big of a leap forward compared to before. You still get plenty of scorching black/thrash and punk riffs, with a few of the songs skewing a bit more towards traditional black metal. Although it doesn’t quite stand out as much as Sexual Human Panic Machine overall, there’s still enough substance to attract newcomers and fans alike and Bonehunter is damn consistent given how often they release material. Children of the Atom is available from Hells Headbangers Records.
-Review by Chris Dahlberg
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